Hashtag #debatenight breaks records

News organisations are saying Monday night’s US presidential #DebateNight was the ‘most tweeted debate ever’. Twitter said the debate was the most tweeted-about political moment in the social media company’s history. Trump was the focus of 62 per cent of the conversation on the social media platform, Twitter said.

The raw number of tweets was not available, but according to news sites,

Twitter statistics indicate that the number of tweets in 2016 has exceeded the 10.3 million messages sent about 2012’s first presidential debate.

Trump stole the social media spotlight during a US presidential debate on Monday night — this time for what

Twitter users branded a #Trumpsniffle.

The wealthy businessman was seen and heard sniffling repeatedly as he faced off against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in their first debate, giving rise to the hashtag.

The Twittersphere was abuzz with playful memes and animations as viewers tried to figure out what was causing Trump’s nose to run.

Parody accounts Donald’s Sinuses (@ TrumpsSinuses) and Trump sniff (@TrumpSniff) instantly gained a large following.

A campaign aide said Trump, 70, did not have a cold.

Several tweeters seized on the sniffling to hit back at Trump over his repeated digs at the health and stamina of Clinton, 68, who had pneumonia earlier this month.

“I am worried about @realDonaldTrump’s health — are the sniffles symptoms of something more serious? #sniff #debatenight,” tweeted user Scott Charton.

On Facebook, conversations about Trump made up 79 per cent of debate chatter, while Clinton’s share of the conversation was 21 per cent.